presbyterian

American  

[prez-bi-teer-ee-uhn, pres-] / ˌprɛz bɪˈtɪər i ən, ˌprɛs- /

adjective

1. pertaining to or based on the principle of ecclesiastical government by presbyters or presbyteries.

2. (initial capital letter) designating or pertaining to various churches having this form of government and professing more or less modified forms of Calvinism.

---

noun

1. (initial capital letter) a member of a Presbyterian church; a person who supports Presbyterianism.

Presbyterian ¹ British  

/ ˌprɛzbɪˈtɪərɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to any of various Protestant Churches governed by presbyters or lay elders and adhering to various modified forms of Calvinism

---

noun

1. a member of a Presbyterian Church

presbyterian ² British  

/ ˌprɛzbɪˈtɪərɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating Church government by presbyters or lay elders

---

noun

1. an upholder of this type of Church government

Other Word Forms

• Presbyterianism noun
• non-Presbyterian adjective
• presbyterianism noun
• presbyterianistic adjective
• pro-Presbyterian adjective
• pseudo-Presbyterian adjective

Etymology

Origin of presbyterian

First recorded in 1635–45; presbytery + -an

Example Sentences

Does she have a point that her denomination, the presbyterian Free Church of Scotland - which is often described as socially conservative or even fundamentalist - is not alone in its teachings?

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2023

St Giles' has seen strong Scots women before: Jenny Geddes, in a burst of presbyterian fervour, threw a stool at the minister in the 17th century for daring to introduce an Anglican-tinged prayer book.

From The Guardian • Sep. 17, 2014

Mack, a pastor at St Andrew's presbyterian church in Saint-Lambert, is a longtime friend of Chassagne's father.

From The Guardian • Apr. 29, 2013

The presbyterian atmosphere of Sutherland's home in her native Sydney was the result of her father William McDonald Sutherland's being a Scots immigrant.

From The Guardian • Oct. 11, 2010

The inhabitants, from three to four thousand in number, maintained four churches: one episcopal, one presbyterian, and two Welsh.

From Travels in North America, From Modern Writers With Remarks and Observations; Exhibiting a Connected View of the Geography and Present State of that Quarter of the Globe by Bingley, William